A Piura classic of whole fried cachema finished with a juicy onion topping of tomato, yellow chili, ají panca and chicha de jora. The key is keeping the fish crisp while the onions arrive hot, glossy and still pleasantly firm.
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Pat the cachema thoroughly dry and make two shallow slashes on each side. Cut the red onion into thick feathers, the tomato into wedges, and the yellow chili into strips. Having the topping ready prevents the fried fish from sitting around afterward.
Season the cachema with part of the salt, half the pepper, and half the cumin. Heat the vegetable oil in a wide skillet and fry the fish for 4 to 5 minutes per side, until deeply golden and crisp outside and the flesh is opaque near the bone. Transfer to paper towels.
Pour off the excess fat, leaving only a thin film of the oil in the skillet. Add the ground garlic, ají panca paste, and yellow chili; cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant and the chilies lose their raw edge.
Increase the heat and add the red onion, tomato, chicha de jora, remaining salt, pepper, and cumin. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is glossy and still slightly crisp and the tomato has released enough juice to create a light onion sauce. Do not reduce it into a stew.
Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro. Immediately spoon the hot onion mixture over each cachema, leaving some skin exposed to preserve its crunch. Serve at once: the fish should remain crisp and juicy, with lively onion and a short sauce scented by the chicha. And that's it—cachema, onions, and Piura doing the rest. 🐟🧅
